A Grand Memoir By Darlene Koldenhoven

 

A Grand Memoir

By

Darlene Koldenhoven

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

As a European I have been a fan of Darlene’s since around 2006 and an album called Infinite Voice, and as she may remember, I fell totally in love with a track called Atmospheres from her release Tranquil Times, for me it gave me a wonderful insight into her adaptability and skill set. Some 20 years on I now gaze from a literally standpoint myself, and as a musician, and also a music writer, and I get to sonically swim in the release that emphasises the artists life history, the twists and turns of outrageous fortune, the wins and losses, and the beauty of her latest release A Grand Memoir, which is coupled by her book Put Down You Dress And Sing.

Darlene and I have many similarities in our growing years, the extremely strict religious upbringing, the almost shunning of anything creative in our lives, and the willingness of complicity from our parents to hold us by pain and suffering to those ideas of control and manipulation as mentioned in the book. The opening piece on the album I found quite highly artistic and emotional, and whilst there is a certain irony in that, Love and Devotion is one of my favourite tracks from the release, it’s powerful and full of self-expression, an out pouring of emotive tones that increases during the manifestation and concludes so beautifully with a flourish.

However this next piece I found deeply fascinating, almost meditative, a true trip around the scales and a highly floating narrative can be found on the composition called Impressions. There is a beautifully textured reflective and atmospheric tonal vibration that one can find in this piece that is so very soothing. One might assume that a collection of memories rather than a single narrative is being explored here.

The more I listen to this album the more I float back in time myself; Lilac Tears is a great soundtrack with which to do that with. Here lies a tender and melancholy centrepiece, there is a great sadness about this offering than at first meets the eye and my research tells me the artist associates this piece with the father's funeral, for those of you who have never lived in an extremely critical religious household, you should read Darlene’s book and explore the relationship she had with her father, this piece of music says it all, and is one of 10 fine pieces, which are musical companions to a real life story.

Wright's Romanza is next upon us, it is the shortest composition from the album at 3:32, but its contents are absolutely charming and transcendent. The tonal structures of this almost soaring and meditative creation are utterly beautiful; one can float within this piece for hours and simply get lost in an intimate romantic interlude moment, one you would never wish to end.

Our mid-way composition is another wonderfully fluent and meditative opus called Caprice. There is a playful, unconventional energy here that makes this composition very palpable and enjoyable; the roaming piano takes is on a varied journey of ambient hues, textures and atmospheric nuances, and the track has a different harmonic colour from a straightforward major-minor approach.

There are many moving moments in Darlene’s book Put Down Your Dress and Sing, from the many years that roll by, from the relationships gained and learned from, those fun moments of a halcyon time, that will only ever happen once in a life time, but will never be forgotten. For me this next piece takes me to that corner of the universe and is called Jacaranda Joy. The structure is bright, celebratory and lifting in its narrative, and after the more introspective Caprice, this provides a noticeable emotional brightening for the listener.

Le Petit Carrousel is next, which is interesting as my dear friend David Lanz has released a Carousel composition himself, this is more of a whimsical, animated movement type of a manifestation, and most certainly a piece that brings childhood, movement, nostalgia, and playfulness into the album concept.

Deeper in the weave of the album we find Winter In Vienna, this has a creative tonal change to represent the darker months of the year, and does it incredibly well. Koldenhoven on piano is spectacular at getting her message over, how fortunate she stuck to her guns and continued being creative on the piano, and against all odds too as she alludes to in her book Put Down Your Dress and Sing, which is a must read.

Gentle Song does exactly what it says on the can, it creates a wonderfully ambient and meditative moment for the listener to bathe in. As expected this piece is a quiet emotional release, but one that is comforting to listen to, like a warm blanket on a January evening, one can feel almost like a moment of rest and acceptance has been found at the coda.

The final gift from Darlene is called Flying With Kites, there is a beautiful lilt to this that makes it sound almost commercial, and one piece that the melody would work very well as a TV theme. Reference wise this is associated with the church-camp solo at age 8, and more information of this emotional time for the artist can be found in her book that accompanies the album Put Down Your Dress and Sing. Also one must note what a clever juxtaposition of an arrangement this is, as the imagery suggests changes from looking backward to looking upward and outward.

Now I have said it a few times this year, but everyone knows when I say it , it actually means it’s true, not just a platitude gifted as a throw away comment, but in my view A Grand Memoir by Darlene Koldenhoven is without doubt the best work of the artist thus far. Its expression and emotive nuances are by far the most creative and moving music the artist and composer has explored. Let’s not forget Darlene Koldenhoven has a written and audio companion with this work of musical genius called Put Down Your Dress and Sing, and everyone should read it, it’s a journey of a life that has been hard won, a celebration of persistence and creativity against all odds, and many successes, and the reason it is such a very good read is because Darlene keeps it real, no sugar coating, absolutely authentic and should be applauded for it.